“I remember basically everything from that game,” said Monahan, reminiscing about his first outing at hockey’s highest level — an Oct. 3, 2013 road date against the Washington Capitals in D.C. “It was my first NHL game and we were playing against (Alex) Ovechkin, so that was pretty cool. I got a few stitches. I got my first NHL point …

“It’s a good memory, obviously. Your whole life, you’re working towards playing in the NHL. And to be out there playing against guys that I obviously watched when I was younger, that was a special moment.”

Monahan’s latest logging marked a milestone moment.

This might be hard to believe for fans and followers of the Calgary Flames, but the alternate captain and first-line centre has now suited up for 500 appearances on the NHL stage.

“Five hundred is a lot of games, and it feels like it has flown by,” Monahan said. “To be honest, I can’t believe it’s already been 500.

“It is special, for sure. I saw my parents in Buffalo (last week), and everyone was congratulating me for it. At the end of the day, you’re going into games and you’re trying to be the best player you can be, so it hasn’t been much of a focus for me. But to get there, it’s a proud moment.”

Calgary Flames Sean Monahan celebrates after scoring against the Colorado Avalanche in game two of the Western Conference First Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary on Saturday, April 13, 2019. Al Charest/Postmedia

It’s been a mixed bag sort of season for Monahan, one of the focal points on a squad that has had its share of ups and downs already.

His six goals in 29 tilts so far is shy of the pace he’s accustomed to — that likely goes hand-in-hand with the fact that close pal Johnny Gaudreau hasn’t been as productive, either — and his minus-13 rating is worst among Flames forwards.

Monahan has been praised, however, for his efforts to be more physical and more reliable in his defensive zone, developments that will make him a more complete package if he can get back to tickling twine at his usual clip.

He’s also winning 53.8% of his faceoffs, tops on the team and the best mark of his career.

After Saturday’s victory over the Senators, Flames interim head coach Geoff Ward twice pointed out that Lindholm’s tie-breaking tally — a close-range roof-job — started with a smart decision by No. 23 in the neutral zone.

“We’ve talked about it a lot — when there’s no ice in front of you, get the puck behind and skate onto it,” said Ward, who rewarded the Flames with back-to-back days off — a rarity in this business — before they return to practice to prepare for Thursday’s matchup with the Buffalo Sabres. “Sean made a great play getting the puck up in the air behind the defence, and Elias used his speed to get on it and then was able to make the skilled play at the end.”

Dating back to that introductory assist against the Capitals in his debut and then to his first career lamp-lighting the next night in Columbus, Monahan has so far racked up 178 goals and 384 points in the best league in the world.

According to Sportsnet, there are only five guys in Flames franchise history who’d done more damage when they reached the 500-game plateau, and these are household names from the late-80s and early-90s — Theoren Fleury (531), Joe Nieuwendyk (531), Al MacInnis (473), Gary Suter (464) and Gary Roberts (403).

(With 408 points in 423 career contests, Gaudreau will eventually take his place on that list.)

Monahan, the first graduate of the 2013 NHL Draft class to hit the halfway-to-a-thousand milestone, has plenty of prime years ahead to add to his offensive totals.

“I think I’ve matured a lot,” he said, reflecting on his first 500. “I mean, I still have a ways to go to where I want to be, but I definitely think I’ve grown a lot from the on-ice perspective and off the ice, too.”

ICE CHIPS: Flames goaltender David Rittich was hailed Monday as the NHL’s second star of the week. The 27-year-old from the Czech Republic stopped 95 of the 101 shots he faced over that span, posting a 2-0-1 record with a sparkling 1.94 goals-against average and .941 save percentage. Colorado Avalanche centre Nathan MacKinnon was the first star of the week, while San Jose Sharks netminder Martin Jones — a Calgary Hitmen alum — rounded out the honour roll.

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